Read two things from the manual before touching anything
The slack figure, and the position it is measured in — on the side stand, on a paddock stand, or with weight on the machine. The same chain reads differently in each, and a number without its position is not an instruction. Note the axle nut torque at the same time; you will need it at the end.
Find the tight spot first
Roll the wheel and check the slack at several points around the chain. It will not be the same all the way round. The point with the least slack is the one to set, because setting at a loose point leaves the chain taut at the tight one for every revolution.
Clean before you measure, if it needs it
Grit packed between the rollers changes what you feel and grinds while you ride. Use a cleaner published as safe for the sealing rings your chain has, and let it dry. Lubricating over old grit is worse than not lubricating.
Adjust both sides equally
The adjusters at each end of the swingarm move the axle back and forth. Moving one further than the other pulls the wheel out of line with the frame, which wears the tyre and the sprockets and makes the machine track oddly. Most swingarms carry alignment marks; they are a guide rather than a measurement, and several riders check with a straightedge or a string line instead.
Recheck in the specified position, then tighten
Slack changes as the axle nut is tightened, so measure again after torquing rather than before. Use the torque figure from the manual and a torque wrench — this is a fastener where a guess has consequences, and it is the reason a torque wrench belongs in a home toolkit.
Lubricate last, and on a warm chain
After a ride rather than before one: the film settles instead of being thrown off in the first mile. Use a lubricant published as compatible with your chain’s sealing rings, and wipe the excess rather than adding more.
Know when to stop adjusting
If the slack varies noticeably around the chain, it has stretched unevenly and is near the end of its life. Adjustment then hides the problem rather than fixing it, and the sprockets it has been running against are almost always worn with it — which is why chains and sprockets are sold as kits.
Questions riders send in about this
How often should this be done?
At the interval the manual gives, and additionally after a long trip, after cleaning, or if the noise from the chain changes. Chains stretch with use, so it is a recurring check rather than a one-off job.
Is a too-tight chain worse than a loose one?
It loads the gearbox output bearing and the wheel bearings every time the suspension compresses, which is why the maker specifies slack rather than tension. A loose chain wears faster and is noisier.
Last reviewed 18 September 2026